Mechanisms and biomedicine

This chapter provides a "functionalist account" of the ways that mechanisms are sought, formulated, and used in medicine. It considers following six "episodes" to draw out some of the role(s) that mechanisms play in making sense of medicine: aspirin, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-raising drugs; asbestos that is known to be responsible for fatal diseases; discovery of Helicobacter pylori as a cause of gastric ulcer; story of Ignaz Semmelweis; and comparison between approaches to health and disease. The chapter analyzes these episodes to draw lessons about mechanisms in medicine. It provides answer for the following question: if the mechanisms project often or usually looks to the sciences for inspiration, why is there such a mis-match between the high prominence of mechanisms in medical practice, and the much lower level of attention that medical mechanisms have received from philosophers. Finally, the chapter explores some tentative conclusions about mechanisms in medicine.